A Rich Legacy in Salem

Sharon and Howard Rich have a long history of support with Salem Hospital, volunteering and generously donating to help fund cancer treatments, women's health, emergency services and more.

Sharon and Howard Rich's history with Salem Hospital goes back a few years — 87, to be exact, since Howard was born at the hospital. The Marblehead-based pair, who have been married for 40 years, have long prioritized supporting the hospital because of that legacy and Salem Hospital's place in the community.

"We've seen it grow tremendously," says Howard, who grew up in Salem and operated the Rich's department store chain with his father Jerry, his brother Bennett and his late brother-in-law Joel Saxe, until its 1996 closure. "When I became a trustee 35 years ago, the hospital had a tiny emergency department. Now, it's equal to what you get in Boston and serves a big community. Salem Hospital occupies an important role in medicine in this part of the world."

Howard's father, who founded Jerry's Army and Navy store in downtown Salem, also served as corporator at the hospital, establishing the family's enduring commitment to Salem Hospital. "Salem is where we started and became part of the community," Howard says. "My parents and siblings were patients here, and I've been a patient here. So, it's important to me that the institutions I believe in are supported, and I'd like to do it while I'm alive."

In that spirit, Sharon and Howard have given numerous individual gifts to the hospital since 1981, supporting cancer treatments, women's health, emergency services, cardiac surgery, psychiatry and facilities. They have also volunteered in several capacities, including through Howard's position as a trustee and his role on the Institutional Review and Quality Improvement committees during his tenure. Sharon also serves as a trustee of Mass Eye and Ear, another Mass General Brigham institution.

"Salem Hospital is a community hospital that's here for us," Sharon says. "It's always been a source of pride and comfort, knowing that we will be taken care of so well close to home. There's a cooperative ethos that really makes us feel safe."

The pair also appreciates Salem Hospital's connection to the larger Mass General Brigham network. When Howard had meningitis last year, Sharon rushed him to Salem Hospital, where his medical team had daily conversations with his neurologist in Boston. When his condition worsened, the Salem Hospital team was able to seamlessly transfer him to Brigham & Women's Hospital. Doctors there told Sharon the Salem team had done everything right.

"At Salem, they treat you like family," Sharon says. "There, we're with dedicated clinicians who are making things happen. They help me, my children and my grandchildren. They help the entire community."